Krasovic: Chargers, Norv not beleaguered

The Chargers walloped the bumbling Chiefs, 31-13, on Thursday night before a noisy crowd at Qualcomm Stadium.

Philip Rivers completed his first 13 passes, and John Pagano's swarming defense scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

What it means
: The Chargers (4-4) may have saved Turner’s job for the time being. At the least, they ended a three-game losing streak, pulled out of a second-place tie with the Raiders (3-4) and stayed near the Broncos (4-3).

The Chiefs (1-7) still haven't led in regulation this season, and four more turnovers raised their NFL-worst total to 29.

Philip Rivers, blockers were well-prepared
: Rivers looked confident. He wasn't patting the ball. Protected well by his blockers throughout the first half, he threw in rhythm to his wide receivers and Antonio Gates. The passes were on target, including a 14-yarder to Gates for an opening-drive touchdown. It was the offense's first TD in seven quarters.

Robert Meachem, Eddie Royal weren’t missed
: Two recent additions at wide receiver, Seyi Ajirotutu and Danario Alexander, delivered big plays. Converting on third down, Ajirotutu made a diving catch on the first drive. Alexander had two catches for 41 yards in the first half. Both receivers used their size advantage against the Chiefs’ small cornerbacks.

Donald Butler continues to improve
: Butler is building on his strong season of last year. Exploiting a dumb blocking scheme, he stopped the Chiefs on third-and-one, forcing a field goal in the second quarter. It appeared Butler, running hard in pursuit, caused receiver Dwayne Bowe’s fumble that halted Kansas City’s lengthy first drive. A few days ago, I wrote that Eric Weddle is having the best season of any Charger. Butler is challenging him for that honor.

Rivers should know better
: He threw a silly interception that gave life to the Chiefs at the end of the first half. An incompletion would’ve allowed the Chargers to kick a field goal to stretch their lead to 13-3. Instead, after rolling right on the 3rd-and-goal play from the 1. Rivers lobbed the ball for a well-covered Dante Rosario, and Chiefs safety Eric Berry picked it off in the back of the end zone. Was it a great play call? Probably not. The Chargers showed a power look and tried to trick their way to the touchdown pass. Regardless, Rivers must throw the ball away.

Mr. Reliable delivers
: I wrote in the newspaper that Ronnie Brown has been the offense’s most consistent performer. Maybe you’d like to see Ryan Mathews get more of Brown’s snaps. Don’t blame Brown. He’s doing everything that’s asked of him – pick up blitzers, catch passes, run north-south and catch the ball.

Jared Gaither has regressed
: It’s not clear what’s causing it – perhaps injuries or rust from injuries -- but Gaither’s performance is significantly below his five-game performance last year. Gaither had two false starts in the first quarter. In the third quarter, he was beaten for a sack by Tamba Hali and flagged for holding Hali.

Norv pops a great one-liner
: According to the NFL Network, which aired the game, Norv cracked wry with reporter Alex Flanagan on Wednesday. "Why is there always the word beleaguered in front of my name?" he said.

Opportunity
: The Chargers will have extra rest before facing the Bucs on Nov. 11. And they'll face a Bucs team that has lost two its best players since it last played. All-Pro guard Carl Nicks is out with a season-ending injury; and cornerback Aqib Talib was traded to the Patriots.